This World Storytelling Day, Sat 20 March 2021 at 7.30pm, TRACS is hosting a European Ceilidh to reach out to our friends, celebrate and strengthen our connections across Europe. As Lorenzo, one of our participating storytellers, put it so beautifully “If our stories have no borders, why should we?”. Of course, a traditional Ceilidh includes … Continued

This month we are delighted to host 3 live events under the banner of Sensing Stories, which is the culmination of a series of workshops and discussions to inspire new stories waiting to be told. We are passionate about ensuring all voices and stories are heard and encouraged in Scotland. Our stories are the threads … Continued

TRACS is delighted to be assisting Creative Scotland and other partners in delivering a pilot programme of Traditional Arts Mentoring, building on work undertaken by the Traditional Music Forum. The aim is to exchange knowledge, skills and experience between the generations. The programme is aimed at early or mid-career practitioners in Scotland. Successful applicants will … Continued

TRACS and the Scottish Storytelling Centre present an entertaining take on the life of Robert Burns with poems, stories, songs and music this Burns Night, devised by storyteller, author and presenter David Campbell, as an alternative to Burns Suppers with formal speeches. The popular annual live event now goes virtual to offer a convivial evening … Continued

Love drawing? Join the first SISF online art challenge and engage with the festival community in new ways, with the chance to win a book of Scottish folktales! Everyone is encouraged to join the fun. All levels are welcome, and our challenge is open to all art illustration styles and techniques. How to get on … Continued

Set sail this autumn, as the Scottish International Storytelling Festival (SISF) takes audiences on a voyage, exploring Scotland’s coasts and water through music and storytelling. The 2020 SISF programme is revealed today, promising an eclectic mix of online events spanning across the globe and small-scale face-to-face events, celebrating Scotland ‘a nation shaped by the sea’. … Continued

We’re open! We appreciate your support and patience during the last few months, and we kindly ask that you read all the information available below before we welcome you back to the Centre. We’re open from 10am to 6pm Friday – Sunday, with last entry to John Knox House at 5pm. The Storytelling Café is … Continued

It’s August—must be time for the Edinburgh Festivals! Only this year it isn’t. But don’t despair because A Mad God’s Dream brings you lust, intrigue, backstage drama, plot and counter-plot from the Edinburgh Festival. Ossian, the mainstage festival drama—is it a nationalist epic?—comes direct to your ever smaller screens. Donald Smith’s wicked novella summons up the … Continued

Cometh the hour, cometh the…? It is terrifying to watch the disconnection and bluster at the centre of UK government, as the Covid-19 impacts stack up. But the warning signs were there, and the key characters, as this humorous satire by Donald Smith shows. It was a laugh or cry moment when Bojo came to … Continued

We just celebrated the summer solstice–the longest day of the year–on Sunday, and we’re enjoying the longer daylight hours that summer brings. On Wednesday 24 June, we will celebrate midsummer in Scotland. Midsummer has its roots as a Celtic fire festival, blessing the crops for a fruitful summer harvest with bonfires and using torches to … Continued